TEDGlobal 2010
Jamil Abu-Wardeh: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour
Jamil Abu-Wardeh: Osovina Zla - Turneja Komedije Bliskog Istoka
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Jamil Abu-Wardeh prvi je pokrenuo scenu komedije u arapskom svijetu osnivajući Osovinu Zla - Turneju Komedije Bliskog Istoka, koja dovodi komičare nasmijanoj publici na cijelom Bliskom Istoku. Shvatio je kako izbjegavajući "tri B" (plavi materijal - psovke, vjerovanja i "bolitiku"), komičari Osovine Zla nalaze dosta zajedničkog preko granica.
Jamil Abu-Wardeh - Producer
Jamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Full bio
Jamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
This talk is about righting writing wrongs.
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Ovaj razgovor je o ispravljanju loših napisa.
00:19
No, the sound's not faulty -- righting writing wrongs.
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Ne, ne zvuči pogrešno - ispravljanje loših napisa.
00:22
The Middle East is huge,
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Bliski Istok je ogroman
00:25
and with all our problems, one thing's for sure: we love to laugh.
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i sa svim našim problemima, jedna stvar je sigurna: obožavamo se smijat.
00:28
I think humor is a great way to celebrate our differences.
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Mislim da je humor dobar način kako bismo slavili naše razlike.
00:31
We need to take our responsibilities seriously,
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Treba ozbiljnije shvatit naše odgovornosti,
00:33
but not ourselves.
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a ne sebe.
00:35
Don't get me wrong: it's not like we don't have comedy in the Middle East.
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Nemojte me shvatiti pogrešno: nije kao da nemamo komediju na Bliskom Istoku.
00:38
I grew up at a time when iconic actors
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Odrastao sam u tom vremenu kada su ikonski glumci
00:40
from Kuwait, Syria, Egypt
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iz Kuvajta, Sirije, Egipta,
00:42
used laughter to unite the region,
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koristili smijeh kako bi sjedinili regije,
00:45
just as football can.
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isto kao što to može nogomet.
00:47
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
00:50
Now is the time for us to laugh at ourselves,
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Vrijeme je da se smijemo sami sebi,
00:52
before others can laugh with us.
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prije nego što se ostali mogu smijat s nama.
00:55
This is the story of the rise and rise of stand-up comedy in the Middle East --
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Ovo je priča o uzdignuću i uzdignuću stand up komedije na Bliskom Istoku -
00:58
a stand-up uprising, if you will.
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uzdizanje stand up komedije, ako želite.
01:02
Working in London as TV maker and writer,
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Radeći u Londonu na TV-u kao pisac,
01:05
I quickly realized
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brzo sam shvatio da
01:07
that comedy connects audiences.
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komedija povezuje publike.
01:10
Now, the best breeding ground for good comic writing
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Sada, najplodnije tlo za pisanje dobre komedije scena
01:13
is the stand-up comedy circuit,
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je stand-up komedije,
01:15
where they just happen to say that you kill when you do well
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gdje baš slučajno kažu kako ubijaš kad dobro odradiš
01:17
and you bomb when you do badly.
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i bombardiraš kad odradiš loše.
01:19
An unfortunate connection for us maybe,
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Nesretna veza za nas možda,
01:21
but it reminds me
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ali me podsjeća
01:23
that we'd like to thank one man for, over the past decade,
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kako bismo htjeli zahvaliti jednom čovjeku, u posljednjem desetljeću,
01:26
working tirelessly
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koji je neumorno radio
01:27
to support comedians all around the world,
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kako bi podržao komičare iz cijelog svijeta,
01:30
specifically comedians
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posebno komičare
01:32
with a Middle Eastern background.
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s područja Bliskog Istoka.
01:34
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
01:37
Like my good friends, Dean and Maysoon, at the bottom of the screen,
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Kao moji dobri prijatelji, Dean and Maysoon, na dnu zaslona,
01:40
who, two years after 9/11,
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koji su, dvije godine nakon 11. rujna,
01:42
started a festival to change the way
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osnovali festival da bi promijenili način
01:44
Middle Easterners are perceived in the world.
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na koji svijet gleda na ljude s Bliskog Istoka.
01:47
It's still going strong, with positive press to die for.
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I dalje ide snažno. Sa pozitivnim ispisom za koji vrijedi umrijeti.
01:51
Also, three guys working for years in Los Angeles,
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Također tri dečka koji rade godinama u Los Angelesu,
01:54
an Iranian, a Palestinian and an Egyptian,
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Iranac, Palestinac i Egipćanin,
01:57
created the aptly named Axis of Evil comedy act.
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stvorili su spomenutu Komediju Osovine Zla.
02:01
And wherever they went,
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I gdje god bili,
02:03
they killed.
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ubijali su.
02:05
Now, I didn't start this fire, but I did pour petrol on it.
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Sada, nisam započeo ovu vatru, ali sam sipao na nju benzin.
02:08
I moved to Dubai as the head of original content
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Preselio sam se u Dubai kao rukovoditelj originalnog sadržaja
02:11
for a Western TV network.
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za Zapadnu TV mrežu.
02:13
My job was to connect the brand with a Middle Eastern audience.
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Moj posao je spojiti ovaj brand sa publikom Bliskog Istoka.
02:18
Now, the American head of programming
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Sada, američki direktor programa
02:21
wanted new local Arabic comedy.
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je htio novu lokalnu arapsku komediju.
02:24
In a thick Arabic accent, my brain went,
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U dubokom arapskom naglasku, moj mozak je rekao,
02:27
"Berfect."
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"Sabršeno."
02:29
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
02:31
Now, I had friends in the U.S.
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Sada, imao sam prijatelje u SAD-u
02:33
who had started a successful new tribe.
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koji su napravili uspješno novo pleme.
02:37
And I had every intention of taking this tribe
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I imao sam namjeru oteti ih
02:39
from being outliers in the Middle East
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od neprihvaćenosti na Bliskom Istoku
02:41
and pushing them over the tipping point
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i gurnuti ih preko vrha
02:43
towards success.
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prema uspjehu.
02:45
Now, as with any new idea, it wasn't easy.
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Sada, kao i sa svakom novom idejom, nije bilo lako.
02:47
I had four phases to this plan.
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Imao sam četiri faze ovog plana.
02:49
First, we'd need to buy content from the West and air it.
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Prvo, trebali bismo kupiti sadržaj sa Zapada i emitirati ga.
02:52
Then I'd bring my friends, and we'd show local amateurs how it's done.
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Onda bih doveo moje prijatelje, i pokazali bismo amaterima kako se to radi.
02:55
We would film that and air it,
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Onda bismo to snimili i emitirali,
02:57
and then I could work with the local amateurs and write new comedy.
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i onda bih mogao raditi s lokalnim amaterima i pisati novu komediju.
03:00
I excitedly presented this to the big boss,
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Uzbuđeno sam ovo pokazao velikom šefu,
03:02
and his reaction was, "Um, I don't get it."
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i njegova reakcija je bila, "Hm, ne shvaćam."
03:07
So I retreated back to my cave
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Tako da sam se povukao u svoju pećinu
03:09
and continued to support and produce comedy
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i nastavio podržavati i producirati komediju
03:11
and let my friends use my couch
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i dao svojim prijateljima da koriste moj kauč
03:13
as a regional operations hub.
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kao regionalni centar operacija.
03:16
Now, fast forward two years, to early 2007.
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Sada, ubrzajmo za dvije godine, do rane 2007.
03:19
The earth rotated, as did our management,
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Zemlja je kružila, kao i naša uprava.
03:22
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
03:24
and as if by divine intervention,
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I baš kao sa božanskim uplitanjem,
03:26
things came together
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stvari su se poklopile
03:28
to help this revolution take shape.
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kako bi ova revolucija dobila neki oblik.
03:31
Here's how the dots connected.
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Evo kako su se točke povezale.
03:33
First, the Axis guys recorded a Comedy Central special
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Prvo, dečki iz Osovine Zla su snimili specijal Comedy Centrala
03:36
that aired in the States,
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koji se emitirao u SAD,
03:38
and it was getting great hits on YouTube.
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i imao je dobar odaziv na Youtube-u.
03:40
Our new French CEO
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Naš novi francuski direktor je
03:42
believed in the power of positive PR ...
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vjerovao u moć pozitivnog PR-a ...
03:44
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
03:46
and ideas du bon marche.
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i jeftinih ideja.
03:49
Let's just say "value for money."
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I samo recimo "vrijednost za novac."
03:51
I produced in Dubai a show for Ahmed Ahmed
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Producirao sam u Dubaiju emisiju za Ahmed Ahmed-a
03:54
to showcase his new Axis special to a packed room.
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kako bih pokazao njegov novi specijal Osovine u prepunoj sobi.
03:56
I invited our new CEO,
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Pozvao sam našeg direktora,
03:58
and as soon as he realized we had a room packed full of laughing infidels,
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i čim je shvatio da imamo sobu punu nevjernika koji se smiju,
04:01
his reaction was very simple:
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i njegova reakcija je bila jednostavna:
04:03
"Let's make this happen.
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"Hajde da napravimo ovo.
04:06
And one more thing: No, don't F it up."
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I još nešto: Ne, nemoj zajeb ..."
04:09
So I quickly went to work
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Brzo sam krenuo na posao
04:11
with a great team around me.
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sa nevjerojatnim timom oko sebe.
04:13
I happened to find
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I dogodilo se da sam našao
04:15
a funny guy to present it in Arabic,
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smiješnog tipa da to predstavi na arapskom,
04:17
who is originally Korean,
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koji je porijeklom Koreanac,
04:20
a perfect fit for the Axis of Evil.
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savršen spoj s Osovinom Zla.
04:22
This is all true.
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Sve ovo je točno.
04:24
Now, while preparing for the tour,
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Sada, dok smo se pripremali za turneju,
04:26
I had to remind the guys to be culturally sensitive.
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morao sam podsjetiti dečke da budu osjetljivi na kulturu.
04:28
I used the three Bs of stand-up don'ts
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Iskoristio sam tri B stand-up-a koje ne bi smjeli koristiti,
04:30
as I call them in the Middle East:
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kao što ih ja zovem na Bliskom Istoku -
04:33
blue content, keep it clean; beliefs, not religion;
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Plavi sadržaj, neka bude čisto, bez psovki - vjerovanja, bez religije,
04:36
and the third B, bolitics.
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i treće B, bolitika.
04:39
Stay away from bolitics in the Middle East.
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Držite se podalje od bolitike na Bliskom Istoku.
04:42
Oh course, you might think, what's left
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I naravno, možete misliti, što je ostalo
04:44
without bolitics, sex and religion, how can you make people laugh?
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bez bolitike, seksa i religije, kako možemo natjerati ljude da se smiju?
04:46
I'd say, watch any successful well-written,
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Rekao bih, pogledajte bilo koju uspješnu, dobro napisanu,
04:49
family-friendly sitcom in the West
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obiteljsko-prijateljsku humorističnu seriju na Zapadu
04:51
for your answers.
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za odgovor na to pitanje.
04:53
Now, were the Axis successful?
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Sada, je li Osovina uspješna?
04:57
In five countries, in just under a month,
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U pet zemalja, za manje od mjesec dana,
04:59
we had thousands of fanatical fans come and see them live.
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imali smo tisuće oduševljenih fanova koji su došli vidjeti ih uživo.
05:02
We had millions see them on TV and on TV news.
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Imali smo milijune koji su ih vidjeli na TV-u i TV vijestima.
05:05
In Jordan, we had His Majesty the King come and see them.
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U Jordanu, Njegovo Veličanstvo Kralj, došao ih je vidjet.
05:08
In fact, they were so successful
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U stvari, bili su toliko uspješni
05:10
that you could buy a pirated copy of their DVD,
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da ste mogli kupiti piratsku kopiju njihovog DVD-a
05:12
even before it was released in the Middle East.
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još prije nego je puštena u prodaju na Bliskom Istoku.
05:14
Anywhere you go.
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Bilo gdje išli.
05:16
So everywhere we went,
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Znači svugdje gdje smo bili,
05:18
we auditioned amateurs.
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imali smo audicije za amatere.
05:20
We filmed that process and aired a documentary.
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Snimili smo taj proces i emitirali dokumentarac.
05:23
I called it "Three Guys and Wonho."
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Nazvao sam ga "Tri dečka i Wonho."
05:26
It really is his name.
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To je stvarno njegovo ime.
05:30
And all this TV and Internet exposure
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I sva ta televizija i izlaganje Internetu
05:33
has led to a great many
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je dovelo do toga da smo mnoge
05:35
recruits to our cause.
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uposlili za naš cilj.
05:37
In Dubai this year, we've just had
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U Dubaiu ove godine, imali smo
05:39
the first all-women's, homegrown stand-up show.
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prvi domaći ženski stand-up.
05:41
And notice two of them are wearing headscarves,
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Primijetite kako dvije od njih nose velove,
05:43
and yes, even they can laugh.
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i da, sve se one znaju smijat.
05:46
Dubai, to me, is like a hand
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Dubai, za mene, je kao ruka
05:48
that supports anyone who wants to make things happen.
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koja podržava svakog tko hoće učiniti nešto.
05:51
20 years ago,
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Prije 20 godina,
05:53
no one had heard of it.
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nitko nije čuo za njega.
05:55
Look at it now.
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Pogledajte ga sada.
05:57
With an inspirational leader, I think this year,
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Sa inspiriranim vođom, mislim kako je ove godine,
05:59
the opening of the tallest tower in the world
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otvaranje najviše kule u svijetu
06:01
is like adding a finger to that hand,
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kao dodavanje prsta toj ruci,
06:03
that points at all those
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prikazuje sve one
06:05
who spread fallacious stories about us.
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koji šire zlonamjerne priče o nama.
06:08
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
06:11
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
06:13
Now, in three short years, we've come a long way
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Sada, u tri kratke godine, prošli smo dug put
06:16
with stand-up comedy shows happening even in Saudi Arabia.
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sa stand-up komedijom koje ima čak i u Saudijskoj Arabiji.
06:19
These comics are now going to the New York festival.
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Ovi komičari sada idu na festival u New Yorku.
06:22
And the Lebanese, brilliant Lebanese,
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I Libanonac, briljantni Libanonac,
06:24
Nemr Abou Nassar, we featured in our first tour,
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Nemr Abou Nassar, kojeg smo imali na našoj prvoj turneji,
06:26
has just been performing in L.A.'s legendary comedy clubs.
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imao je nastupe u Los Angelesu u legendarnim komičarskim klubovima.
06:29
So clearly, from the inside, we are doing our best to change our image,
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Očigledno, iznutra, radimo sve što možemo kako bismo promijenili sliku o nama,
06:32
and it's exploding.
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i to eksplodira.
06:34
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
06:36
So, as for the outsiders looking in,
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Dakle, što se tiče stranaca koji gledaju,
06:39
watch the CNN report on the second Amman Comedy Festival.
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pogledajte CNN izvješće o drugom Anman Festivalu Komedije.
06:42
The reporter did a great job, and I thank her,
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Reporterka je napravila dobar posao, i zahvaljujem joj,
06:45
but somebody forgot to send the positive PR email
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ali je netko zaboravio poslati pozitivan PR e-mail
06:48
to the person operating the automatic news ticker that appears at the bottom.
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osobi koja upravlja trakom koja se pojavljuje na dnu vijesti.
06:51
For example, when Dean talks,
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Primjerice, kada Dean priča,
06:54
the ticker says, "U.S.: Suspect gave 'actionable intel."
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traka kaže, "SAD: Osumnjičeni dao važne informacije."
06:57
Well, if you're used to listening to comedians,
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Pa, ako ste navikli slušati komičare
07:00
then I'm not surprised.
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onda nisam iznenađen.
07:02
Sadly, this leads me to another three Bs
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Nažalost, ovo me vodi prema novih tri B
07:04
that represents how the media in the West
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koji predstavljaju kako mediji na Zapadu
07:07
talks about us as bombers, billionaires
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pričaju o nama kao bombašima, milijarderima
07:09
and belly dancers.
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i trbušnim plesačicama.
07:12
Enough.
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Dosta.
07:14
We're not all angry fanatics
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Nismo svi bijesni fanatici
07:16
who want to kill the infidel.
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koji hoće pobiti nevjernike.
07:18
We have a positive story to tell
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Imamo pozitivnu priču za ispričati i
07:20
and image to sell.
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pozitivnu sliku za prodati.
07:22
In fact, one thing's for sure, in my experience,
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U stvari, jedna stvar je sigurna, prema mom iskustvu,
07:25
we love to laugh like hell.
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volimo se puno smijat.
07:29
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
07:31
Here are three questions that I like to use
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Evo tri pitanja koje bih htio iskoristiti
07:33
to test the truthiness of our representation
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kako bih testirao istinitost naših pojavljivanja
07:36
in any media story.
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u bilo kojoj priči u medijima.
07:38
One: Is the Middle East
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Jedna: Je li Bliski Istok
07:40
being shown in a current time
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pokazan u sadašnjem vremenu
07:42
and correct context?
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i pravom kontekstu?
07:45
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
07:50
Two: Do the Middle Eastern characters
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Dva: Da li se likovi sa Bliskog Istoka
07:53
laugh or smile
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smiju ili smiješe
07:56
without showing the whites of their eyes?
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a da ne pokazuju bjeloočnice svojih očiju?
07:58
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
08:00
Three: Is the Middle Eastern character
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Tri: Glumi li lik sa Bliskog Istoka
08:03
being played by one?
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netko tko je odatle?
08:08
Clearly, there are wrongs that need to be righted.
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Očito, ima pogrešnih stvari koje trebamo ispravit.
08:11
We've started in our region.
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Počeli smo u našoj regiji.
08:13
My challenge to the rest of the world
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Moj izazov prema ostatku svijeta
08:15
is please, start using
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je molim vas, počnite koristiti
08:17
positive Middle Eastern images in your stories.
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pozitivne priče sa Bliskog Istoka u vašim pričama.
08:19
For inspiration, go to one of our festivals,
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Za inspiraciju, idite na jedan od naših festivala,
08:21
go online, drop us a line.
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idite na Internet, stavite komentar.
08:23
Let's change the narrative together
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Hajdemo zajedno promijeniti priču
08:26
and let's start righting writing wrongs.
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i hajdemo početi ispravljati loše napise.
08:29
I'd like to end, before going back to the Middle East,
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Htio bih završiti, prije nego se vratim na Bliski Istok,
08:31
with a quote from one of the greatest Sheikhs
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citatom jednog od najvećih Šeika
08:33
to put quill to parchment.
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koji je prislonio pero na papir.
08:35
As my father likes to call him, "Asheikh Azubare;"
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Kao što ga je moj otac volio zvati, "Asheikh Azubare,"
08:38
as my mother would say, "Shakespeare."
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a moja majka bi rekla, "Shakespeare."
08:40
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
08:42
"And now we go in content
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"A sada idemo prema
08:44
to liberty and not to banishment."
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slobodi, a ne progonu."
08:46
Thank you.
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Hvala vam.
08:48
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jamil Abu-Wardeh - ProducerJamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour.
Why you should listen
After fifteen years working in UK television, Jamil Abu-Wardeh moved to Dubai with a big idea: to bring modern standup comedy to the Middle East. His grassroots efforts to build a standup scene in Dubai, and then across the region, led to the first standup comedy time slot in the programming of Showtime Arabia. And this led to a ground- and record-breaking tour of five Arab countries: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Lines around the block, performances for royalty -- the tour tapped into a shared desire to laugh.
Standup comedians on the tour avoid the three B's (blue material, beliefs and "bolitics") but are free to poke fun everywhere else. One of Abu-Wardeh's stars, protegé Wonho Chung, is a Korean kid who speaks perfect Arabic and is wildly popular on YouTube in Saudi Arabia -- proving to Abu-Wardeh that lines between national groups can be broken down if you're just funny enough. The impresario is constantly creating content and chances for aspiring comics, and his work has helped touch off a new flowering of standup comedy in the region.
Jamil Abu-Wardeh | Speaker | TED.com